1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flame probe for use in an automatic pilot burner ignition system for a gas fueled heating system. In such systems it is necessary to sense the ignition of the pilot burner flame before the main burner of the system is lit and so that the ignition circuitry can be disabled. Sensing of the pilot burner can be accomplished in a variety of ways, but is typically accomplished either by sensing the heat of the pilot flame or by providing a sensing electrode in the path of the flame and sensing the increase in electrical conductivity between the electrode and the pilot burner body which is indicative of a flame. It has been proposed to construct an automatic pilot ignition system in which the flame is to be redundantly sensed. That is, the system would sense both the heat of the flame and the conductivity of the flame to thus sense the flame through two diverse characteristics of the flame. Such a system is disclosed is a co-pending patent application Automatic Fuel Ignition System with Redundant Flame Sensing by Allen L. Teichert and William E. Chambers. The flame probe of the present invention is particularly suited for use in such a system.